Penholder



P 3, 1934- o. Foss 1,953,706

PENHOLDER Filed May 22, 1953 7 my BY Patented Apr. 3, 1934 iii'lfiSTATES PATENT 3 Claims.

This invention relates to writing instruments and particularly to apenholder or the like which will facilitate instruction in penmanship.

Experts and instructors in penmanship have generally recognized thatwhen a penholder is held in a certain position, to wit; between thethumb, the index finger and the second finger, with the staff of theholder lying adjacent the side of the knuckle of the index finger, thena comfortable free-arm writing movement may be obtained and efficientpenmanship may be achieved without cramping or tiring the muscles of thewriter.

It is an object of my invention toprovide an improved penholder soconstructed that the writer is constrained to hold the instrument in themost efficient position for eflecting good handwriting.

Another objcct of my invention is the provision of an improved penholderof the class described which may be manufactured at very low cost; whichis particularly adapted for instruction in penmanship in schools; whichwill not roll off an inclined desk in the manner of conventionalpenholders widely used, and which olfers comfort in writing to those whodo a substantial amount of longhand work.

More specifically it is an object to provide an extremely simplepenholder of the class described which may be constructed from anintegral piece of light material having a rectangular cross section.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be morefully set forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views, and in whichz-- Fig. l is aperspective view of an embodiment of my improved penholder with a penpoint attached in proper position for right handed writ- Fig. 2 is aperspective view in a slightly different form of the invention with thepen point detached;

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, with thepenholder turned. clockwise 90 degrees from the position shown in Fig.1, the dotted line indicating the maximum depth of the thumb receivingrecess;

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are perspective views showing the steps in grasping theimproved penholder and applying it in use whereby correct writingposition of the pen is assured.

As shown, my improved penholder is constructed from an integral strip orrod '7 of relatively light material, such as light wood and ofrectangular; preferably square, cross section. It is to be understoodthat if desired the rear portion or staff of the holder may be taperedfrom a point say 2 inches from the forward end to the rear end thereof.One of the longitudinal corners of the square rod '7 is recessed asindicated by the letter 'I in conformance with the shape of the pad ofthe thumb and this recess T is spaced a short distance from the forwardor pen-point-receiving end of the holder and extends obliquely to thefaces 7a and 7b of the square rod and at its maxlmum depth is disposeddiagonally of the cross section area of the square rod as indicated bythe dotted line X in Fig. 3.

The forward end of the square rod 7 is pro vided with an axiallydisposed circular groove 8 forming in the stock an annular socket foradjustably receiving the shank of a pen point 9.

In Fig. l the penholder is shown particularly adapted for writinginstructions in the lower grades of school wherein recess T is ofapproximate length and shape to just receive the padded portion of thewriters thumb.

In Fig. 2 the recess T is longer so that some variation may be had inthe point of gripping the penholder. This holder I find somewhat betteradapted for business use as some writers prefer to hold a pen or writinginstrument farther from the stylus than others.

In the use of my improved writing instrument the shank of the pen pointis disposed in the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6 for a righthanded penman. The thumb comfortably fits the recess '1, the paddedportion of the index finger engages comfortably the face '70 of theholder (the upper face) and. the side of the tip of the second fingercomfortably engages the face 7d of the holder. The grasped portion ofthe penholder is of substantially triangular cross section and when soheld the staff necessarily extends upwardly alongside of the foreknuckle of the hand in correct writing position and will not slip fromthat position due to the cooperative pressure from the thumb and firsttwo fingers and the confining recess for receiving the thumb.

For a left handed writer the shank of the pen point 9 is disposed in aposition turned counterclockwise 90 degrees from the position shown inFig. 3.

Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive illustrate a manner by which correct penmanshipmay be easily taught by the use of my improved penholder. As shown inFig. 4, the holder may be first laid between the index and the secondfinger on the palm side of the hand, with the fingers outstretched. Thethumb is then engaged with the recessed portion T. The pad of the indexfinger then perfectly engages the upper face '70 of the square rod andthe side of the second finger then engages the face 741 of the holder.The fingers are necessarily bent in proper writing position in sograsping the pen and the staff of the pen is disposed upwardly extendingalong the side of the fore knuckle of the hand and cannot slip from thatposition as long as it is so grasped with the thumb engaged in recess T.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided anexceedingly simple pen holder which may be constructed at very low costand which positively assures the writer of maintaining the pen incorrect position for most comfortable and efiicient writing.

It further will be seen that by starting the construction from a squarerod or strip only a single recessed portion need be formed to pro vide athree-faced grip for the thumb, index and second finger of the writinghand and that further the holder so constructed will not roll off aninclined desk.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made inthe form, details, proportions, and arrangement of the parts withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention, which, generally stated,consists in a penholder capable of carrying out the objects above setforth and in the novel parts and combinations of parts disclosed anddefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A penholder having an end provided with a socket for receiving a penpoint and having at least the forward portion thereof of rectangularcross section, one of the longitudinal edges of said portion beingrecessed obliquely to the adjacent faces to receive the padded portionof the writers thumb, the opposite faces of the forward portion beingpositioned to engage the in dex finger and side of the second finger,respectiveiy.

2. A penholder comprising an elongated memher having a socket at itsforward end for receiving a pen point and having a pair of angularlydisposed plane faces extending longitudinally and rearwardly from theforward end thereof, one of which is adapted to be engaged by the tip ofthe index finger and the second of which is adapted to be engaged by theside of the second finger, said member having a recess disposed adjacentthe forward end thereof and disposed oppositely to the corner edgebetween said angularly arranged faces and being shaped to receive andconform to the padded portion of the writers thumb.

3. A penholder comprising an elongated symmetrical member having asocket at its forward end for holding a pen point and having a series ofangularly arranged plane faces extending from the forward end to therear end thereof, said member having a recess formed in a portionthereof spaced a short distance from the forward end. said recess beingdisposed oppositely to two adjoining plane surfaces and being shaped toclosely fit the padded portion of the writers thumb.

OSTEN FOSS.

